Statute Law Repeals - Law Commission - Ministry of Justice

St Mary-le-Bow Lecturer’s Trust Act (1799)
6.22 The preamble to this 1799 Act 42 records that George Palyn, 43 a parishioner of the
parish of St Mary-le-Bow, left £100 in his will to pay for a weekly afternoon lecture
or sermon to be read or preached in the parish church of St Mary-le-Bow in the
City of London. 44 Mr Palyn, who died in October 1610, directed that the lecture or
sermon should be funded by the income from land to be purchased by his
trustees. Such gifts to this church were not uncommon in the 17 th century. The
preamble to the 1799 Act also records that a number of other gifts were made to
support the lecture proposed by Mr Palyn. 45 Two properties and a shop in
Abchurch Lane were purchased by the trustees and the rents from these were
used to fund the afternoon lectures, the first of which appears to have been
delivered around 1622. 46 The 1799 Act authorised the parish of St Mary-le-Bow
to sell the rental properties and use the income from the sale proceeds to meet
the costs of the lectures. The Act also provided that future lectures should be
given by a preacher elected by a parish committee and licensed by the
Archbishop of Canterbury.
6.23 These arrangements continued throughout most of the 19 th century with a parish
committee meeting regularly to select future lecturers and to determine the fees
to be paid to them. However, the last record of such a committee meeting was in
1878. Although parish records kept at the time suggest that the Palyn lectures
were still being held in 1890, it seems likely that the endowment for the lectures
was absorbed by a Charity Commission Scheme made for the parish of St Maryle-Bow
in 1891. 47 In any event it is clear that these lectures ceased to be held
well over a century ago. The church of St Mary-le-Bow has confirmed that it has
no knowledge of them, nor is there any reference to them in the accounts of the
relevant parish charity. 48 Accordingly the provisions of the 1799 Act no longer
serve any useful purpose and the repeal of the Act is proposed on that basis.
42
39 Geo.3 c.lxxxi.
43
Also spelled as Palin. He was previously a Master of the Girdlers’ Company in the City of
London.
44 Founded in or around 1080 as the London headquarters of the Archbishops of Canterbury,
the ancient parish church of St Mary-le-Bow was rebuilt by Sir Christopher Wren following
its destruction in the Great Fire of 1666. Its destruction again in 1941 resulted in its
complete restoration and re-consecration in 1964.
45 An unrelated gift was that provided for in the will of Robert Boyle who died in 1691. This
gift provided funds for a series of lectures at the church which are still held annually.
46 This arrangement continued for a number of years. In 1640 the lecturer received £30 a
year and thereafter the annual payment was increased to £32 and 10 shillings. The Great
Fire of 1666, however, resulted in the loss of the church and the rental properties. The
Palyn lectures continued once the church and the properties had been rebuilt by Sir
Christopher Wren.
47 This scheme was made under powers given by the City of London Parochial Charities Act
1883 (46 & 47 Vict. c.36). The purpose of the 1883 Act was to provide for the better
application and management of the parochial charities of the City of London.
48 The Parochial Church Council of the Ecclesiastical Parish of St Mary-le-Bow, Cheapside.
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